


A Light Show

by Goodluckdetective (scorpiontales)



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Angst, F/M, Moving On, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-05
Updated: 2015-07-05
Packaged: 2018-04-07 17:37:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4272066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scorpiontales/pseuds/Goodluckdetective
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>York had always wanted to take her to see some fireworks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Light Show

     York liked fireworks.

     Carolina never got that, throughout all her years of knowing him. In their profession, loud explosions seemed to provoke negative emotions rather than good. Fireworks, despite their beautiful colors, were a recipe for a flashback if caught unaware. Carolina knew from personal experience; she had never missed how her mother shook on the rare occasions she was home for the 4th of July.

     York seemed to be immune, however. He gravitated towards fireworks, towards the colorful explosions and creative patterns. Actually honest to God, sought them out. During their few shores leaves, Carolina would often come downstairs to find him trying to find a local show to attend. Carolina liked to tease him about it (“most places don’t offer light shows every week York, let alone alien planets”) but she never missed the way his shoulders drooped when he came up empty.

     York never got to see his firework show. Carolina never got to go with him. And for some reason, that seemed to sting more than anything else. All of that opportunity.

     On her darker nights, Carolina wondered if her life was just a cycle of lost chances and missed people.

     Tonight wasn’t one of those nights. Tonight, as far as nights went, was relatively good. The Chorus air wasn’t too hot or too dry. The grass underneath her armor had yet to grow damp from the night dew. The lack of light pollution made the stars above clear to see. Carolina had taken off her helmet an hour ago to just enjoy the slight breeze of the place, taking in the smells of a new world. It was almost impossible to describe but it reminded her of lavender. And maybe a hint of fresh coffee.

     “Epsilon,” she said, looking down at the base below from her perch on the hill. Epsilon flickered to life in front of her, his virtual shotgun thrown over his back, his helmet on slightly askew. How a computer could be so dysfunctional was lost on her.

     “Hey Carolina!” He said. “What’s up?” He flickered out of sight, then appeared on her shoulder in order to peer over it. “Where are the guys?”

     “Helping Caboose catch this planet’s version of lightening bugs,” she said. In the distance she could hear the Reds and the Blues chattering at one another, scrambling through the underbrush in order to catch the smallest creature. She hoped Caboose wouldn’t try to keep one as a pet; they were a pack of strays as it was. “I got a question for you.”

     He was back to hovering in front of her now. “Shoot.”

     She thought back to Freelancer, back to Theta and Delta. To York and North. To Eta and Iota. To her father’s green eyes staring down at her from the training room observation deck. “I was wondering if you can do that trick Theta used to. With the fireworks.”

     Epsilon raised his right hand up, twirling it. “You mean these?” As if on cue, a small burst of blue appeared above his arm, small sparks raining down like the confetti. Carolina nodded. “Yeah, I can. It’s pretty easy.”

     That was a relief. She wasn’t going to push him on this if it was going to be taxing. Lately, Carolina was starting to take account of limits. “Mind giving me a little light show?”

     Epsilon tilted his head. She could picture a younger version of her father arch a brow at her, his face coated with a mix of amusement and surprise. She used to love that expression. “Why? Feeling like having a “not dead yet” celebration?”

     “Not quite.” That celebration would have to wait until Locus and Felix were gone. “I just wanted to remember something. Someone.”

     Epsilon shrugged his shoulders. “Sure. Why not?” Carolina could think of a thousands reasons of “why not” but she kept her mouth shut. Epsilon got this, she knew it. It was impossible to miss the change in the AI’s posture. No one stood that straight with nothing on their mind.  

     Carolina could guess what he was thinking about, as sparks of blue and gold began to burst in front of her. She wasn’t going to bring it up. Epsilon’s ghosts were his business. As hers were her own.

     She began to hum under her breath. It was an old song York used to sing to her sometimes, when he was trying to make her smile. He told her that he wrote it, but Carolina knew better; she just didn’t call him out on it. She pictured a scene from years ago, a time when both of them shared a cramped hotel, York’s hands on her shoulders.

     “One of these days,” he had said. “I’m taking you to a real light show. A quality one. I’ll even make shitty potato salad and it will be an actual date. Romantic serenading included.”

    She had forgotten what she had said to that, but she hoped it was something along the lines of a yes.

    As Epsilon lit another line of virtual fireworks, Carolina leaned back, listened to her friends bicker behind her, and pictured a world where the phantom arm around her shoulder was actually real.

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End file.
